A classic Namibia roadtrip

[michael-ibk]

 

For some reason Namibia never had such a strong pull on me like many other African destinations. Not really sure why, it certainly has amazing landscapes and very good wildlife, but every time I thought about finally doing there was always a trip to Botswana, Zambia, Tanzania or Zimbabwe that came inbetween.

 

Not anymore, we finally decided to team up with our friends @xelasand Zvezda for a very classic road trip. The objective was to see a good selection of the iconic places Namibia is famous for, decent birding and a bit of safari in Etosha.

 

 

 

 

Even though we had a bit more than three weeks that's still not a lot of time for a huge country like Namiba. So we left out the South (Fish River Canyon, Quiver Tree Forest, Kolmanskop) and ultimately also decided against going up to Epupa Falls in the North (mainly we were a bit skeptical about the state of accomodations there after COVID). And since all of us except Zvezda were scheduled for a Botswana trip this autumn anyway it made little sense to do the Caprivi. So this is the itinerary we ended up doing:

 

 

• May 17th, International flights with Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Abeba
• May 18th, Arrive Windhoek, o/n River Crossing Lodge
• May 19th, Avis Dam birding, drive to Namib Naukluft NP, o/n Sossus Dune Lodge
• May 20th, Soussuvlei, Sesriem Canyon, o/n Sossus Dune Lodge
• May 21st, Soussuvlei, Dead Vlei, drive to Swakopmund, o/n The Stiltz
• May 22nd, Walvis Bay, birding, reptiles, o/n The Stiltz
• May 23rd, Walvis Bay pelagic, Swakopmund, o/n The Stiltz
• May 24th, Drive to Erongo region, o/n Rock Painting Lodge
• May 25th, Erongo birding and game drives, rock painting, o/n Rock Painting Lodge
• May 26th, Drive to Cape Cross via Spitzkoppe, Seal colony, o/n Cape Cross Lodge
• May 27th, Drive to Damaraland via Skeleton Coast and Palmwag Lodge, o/n Khowarib Lodge
• May 28th, Excursion to Hoanib valley for Desert Elephants, o/n Khowarib Lodge
• May 29th, Drive to Etosha via Grootberg, o/n Dolomite Camp
• May 30th, Etosha West, o/n Dolomite Camp
• May 31st, Drive to Okakuejo (central Etosha), o/n Okakuejo Camp
• June 1st, Etosha, o/n Okakuejo Camp
• June 2nd, Etosha, Drive to Halali side, o/n Halali camp
• June 3rd, Etosha, o/n Halali camp
• June 4th, Drive to Mundulea, o/n Mundulea Bush Camp
• June 5th, Mundulea, mainly walking, o/n Mundulea Bush Camp
• June 6th, Mundulea, o/n Mundulea Bush Camp
• June 7th, Drive back to Windhoek, o/n River Crossing Lodge (where we stayed for the first night)
• June 8th, Return car, international flights back home

 

This is a rough depiction of our route:

 

 

And a good map with all places visited here on my ebird TR map.

 

Rock Painting Lodge and The Stiltz were booked on booking.com, Sossus Dune Lodge and all Etosha accommodations via Namibia Wildlife Resorts, the others directly by email. Some communications mishaps aside, all a rather smooth process. Our car was booked with Safari Car Rental. Again, all very convenient and easy. They are located inbetween the airport and Windhoek and do include a transfer service.

 

The car was a bit on the old side but it worked for us:

 

 

Joking of course, this was ours, a Toyota Hilux DC 4x4:

 

 

Fortunately we avoided the mishaps of some of their other clients who are now in a very special hall of fame:

 

Edited Sunday at 12:54 PM by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

We touched ground in Namibia around 13:00. Immigration was easy, but I was getting quite nervous when my suitcase would just refuse to show up. I had already resigned to the fact that it was a no-show but miraculously it turned up when almost everyone when had already left. Quite a relief!

 

Afterwards it took us more than 30 minutes to buy a SIM card. The staff members were competent and fast, but a lot of people were buying, it was quite a queue. I had done a bit of research about an eSim but it seems those available will not be of much use outside towns. Later, the instructions about how (not) to use our car were quite thorough. It was already 16:30 when we finally reached our first stop.

 

 

River Crossing Lodge was pleasant. It is conveniently located between the airport and the city, has nice rooms, good food and beautiful surroundings. Very good value for money.

 

 

 

 

 

When I came to my room I found out again that there is no limit to my stupidity. For some reason I had left the key to my suitcase lock in the car (because I had cleverly decided I would not need my bunc of keys on holiday). Fortunately the lodge caretaker helped me out, and cut apart the lock with a disc grinder.

 

Ok, problems solved, out with the camera finally. Basically the very first bird I saw - Red-eyed Bulbul:

 

 

 

Rock Martin, also very common.

 

 

Windhoek in the distance.

 

[michael-ibk]

I had seen on ebird that there was a good birding place nearby, and so we spent two hours or so next morning there, just a 15 minutes drive from our lodge. Avis Dam:

 

 

Namibia has been suffering through a terrible drought in the last years, and places with freshwater are very scarce. A magnet for birds, we had a productive photo session here.

 

 

Hamerkop

 

 

Blue Waxbill and Green-winged Pytilia

 

 

Violet-eared Waxbill

 

 

Chestnut-vented Warbler

 

 

Familiar Chat. A fitting name, at least here in Namiba, they are everywhere.

 

 

Black-chested Prinia

 

 

Marico Sunbird

 

 

Red-headed Finch

 

Security advice: Worth pointing out that Avis Dam is very close to the city. The parking lot is guarded, but they explicitly state one should not come to the dam after sunrise or after sunset. And especially for single visitors, probably better to wait until a bit later in the morning, when the area gets quite busy with families and joggers, most of them with dogs.

[michael-ibk]

We left the lodge around 11:00, now the road trip was starting for real. Our route lead us South, via the town of Rehoboth, and then South-West via the Spreeghtshogte Pass and Solitaire to Namib Naukluft NP. Shortly after we left the Greater Windhoek area it was gravel road only, but all in a very good state. With a few stops on the way it was about 17:45 when we'd finally reached our next top. About 320 km.

 

 

The landscape changed the more we got out of the highlands. Trees became scarcer and scarcer, the bushes lower and vegetation scarcer and scarcer. The only thing that somewhat spoilt this rugged wild emptyness was the non-stop fencing accompanying the road.

 

 

Up on the pass we had our first noteworthy mammal sighting - Klippspringers. Always a delight to see.

 

 

 

 

Whoever has their house here apparently really does not like people.

 

 

The (quite steep) road here can get tricky when there's rain for sure.

 

 

 

Huh? What`s that? Google is your friend:

 

Nirosta built a tourist attraction feature at the “Rooi Dak Padstal” near Solitaire. The feature shows a Soviet rocket which supposedly crashed in the Namib Desert.

 

 

Birdlife was scarce, but this Pied Crow was a good poser at least.

 

 

Very nicely painted car wrecks at Solitaire. Some people in Namibia are quite creative about creating unusual sights.

 

 

If you find a petrol station in Namiba you better use. Solitaire is a classic "stop on the way" to somewhere place. The shop used to be famous for its excellent applestrudel but that is a thing of the past. The pastry chef is long deceased, and now the bakery is nothing special. Not bad, and certainly worth having as a snack on the way, but nothing to rave about.

 

 

Cape Starling

 

 

Common Warthog

 

 

Clouds were practically non-existant during our trip.

 

 

The first of many, many Gemsbok.

 

 

 

Rüppel's Bustard, one of my targets so I was a happy birder.

 

 

Really lovely landscape, we stopped. And stopped. And stopped for scenery again and again.

 

 

Finally close to "home".

 

 

Sossus Dune Lodge. Not a bad place at all. One of its main advantages is it is within the park, so you have a headstart on pretty much everybody else when going to Dead Vlei. Which is important - I'll come back to that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rooms are quite hot (unsurprisingly in the desert) but clean, spacious and comfortable.

 

 

View from the veranda

 

 

A very refreshing (actually icy) pool.

 

Staff were a mixed bag. Some were nice, some very obviously did not care too much. Food was so-so the first evening (buffet), but surprisingly good on the second.

 

Edited October 6 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

The plan had been to do Dead Vlei next day in the morning. For some reason the lodge won't let you book that in advance which was irritating. And then we were told the car was full for the next day, and we could only go in an open vehicle. Did not sound very attractive, mornings are very cold here and it's a long way. Ultimately we decided to just do it the day after which meant we were in a bit of a hurry afterwards to make the long way to the Coast. But it worked fine enough, so no complaints.

 

 

So we were free to explore the park on our own. The road leading to Soussuvlei is tarred and in a very good condition:

 

 

It's only the last 5 km to Dead Vlei that you have to traverse a really tricky and bumpy sandy trick. No need to do that yourself, even if you don't arrange to go to Dead Vlei with a lodge, there are plenty of companies offering transfer services at the end of the tar road. But getting ahead of myself, Dead Vlei was only tomorrow.

 

To be honest, I did not expect too much from this day. Ok, desert, nice, and I quite liked the view from Sossus Dune Lodge. But certainly did not blow me away. But it turned out to be one of my favourite days of the trip. Once you get to the sand dunes the park is so hauntingly beautiful, so different from everything I have seen before it definitely did blow me away. Far!

 

 

Not much wildlife around, the odd Gemsbok or Springbok, and one or two Jackals.

 

 

 

 

Lappet-faced Vulture

 

 

Finally getting into the Dunes.

 

 

 

 

A distant Ostrich - yes, the Desert IS alive.

 

 

 

White-backed Vulture

 

[michael-ibk]

 

Dune 45, one of the few famous dunes one is allowed to climb. A star dune, its name comes from the fact that it is at the 45th kilometre of the road that connects the Sesriem gate and Sossusvlei. Standing over 170 m, it is composed of 5-million-year-old sand that is detritus accumulated by the Orange River from the Kalahari Desert and then blown here.

 

Of course @AndMicand me could not resist going up. And I am glad we did - a fantastic experience, we were rewarded with awesome views and enjoyed a few minutes alone on the top.

 

 

 

 

Fascinating to see that some animals are making it up here on the Dunes in this hostile environment. A Wedge-snouted Lizard I believe. Also saw some Wasps and beetles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a lot of fun coming down. The best strategy is to just run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were lucky with our timing, when we came back a big group started their climb. Definitely would not have been so wonderful with all these people around.

 

 

The rich colours of the desert really made an impact on me. Fabulous, fabulous place, a trip highlight for me. (But to be topped the next day.)

 

[michael-ibk]

 

In the afternoon we decided to go down to Sesriem Canyon. A convenient option, just 10 minutes from the lodge. Not as spectacular as the morning (and a bit too much people here for my taste), but a nice activity. And a bit cooler down here, also a plus. Earlier in the morning I guess there might be some birdlife to be found, but now in the heat everything had gone into hiding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AfricIan]

Count me in for this TR @michael-ibk, it’s very timely as we’re in the later stages of planning a family road trip for Sept’25 😊

[TonyQ]

A great start. Beautiful birds and stunning landscapes. And good company!

[michael-ibk]

 

Next morning we had booked a trip to Dead Vlei. Left camp at 05:45 and arrived about one hour later. As mentioned before the last 5 km consist of a very sandy and bumpy track - of course I banged my head in the car. Since Sossus Dune Lodge are located in the park their cars arrive about 15 minutes before everybody else, and that made so much of a difference!

 

 

It felt so magical being the only people in this wonderful place. Well, a couple with their kids was also in the car, but they chose a different walking route than us, Alex and Zvezda as well. Only a very intrepid traveller from Portugal joined us for a climb up the hill. Intrepid because he had come to Namibia without a plan and without a car, travelling on the back of trucks, sleeping anywhere. Much more adventurous than us for sure!

 

 

Our first glimpse of Dead Vlei, the iconic former riverbed. Just to clarify, we were all free to go whereever we liked. We had 2 hrs 30 until we were supposed to rendezvous back at the car for breakfast.

 

 

An almost surreal experience walking up the dunes before sunrise and seeing a Dead Vlei without anybody in it.

 

 

Then the sun rose.

 

 

 

 

Because of the height of the dunes much of the Vlei itself stayed in the shadows for about one hour after sunrise.

 

 

Two lone Gemsbok were enjoying having the saltpan all to themselves.

 

 

 

 

The early orange light of the desert.

 

 

Andreas taking in the view.

 

 

Up there Big Daddy was waiting for us. The highest dune of Soussuvlei, about 325 m. Tempting to climb it, but we also wanted to make the most of the Vlei, so again enjoyed the fun of sliding down in the sand.

 

[PeterHG]

Great to see your trip report and relive so many wonderful Namibia experiences. Excellent story and photos!

[michael-ibk]

Thanks @AfricIan, @TonyQand @PeterHG!

 

1 hour ago, AfricIan said:

it’s very timely as we’re in the later stages of planning a family road trip for Sept’25 😊

 

Let me know if I can help if you need any info!

 

51 minutes ago, TonyQ said:

And good company!

 

Indeed. The most important thing about a good road trip is to share it with good friends.

 

[michael-ibk]

 

Dead Vlei - not a Valley, the name actually means "Dead Marsh".

 

 

The clay pan was formed after rainfall, when the Tsauchab river flooded, creating temporary shallow pools where the abundance of water allowed camel thorn trees to grow. When the climate changed, drought hit the area, and sand dunes encroached on the pan, which blocked the river from the area.

The trees died as there was no longer enough water to survive. However, some species of plants remain, such as salsola and clumps of nara, adapted to surviving off the morning mist and very rare rainfall. The remaining skeletons of the trees, which are believed to have died 600–700 years ago (ca. 1340-1430), are now black and scorched by the intense heat.Though not petrified, the wood has not decomposed because the area is so dry. (Wiki)

 

 

 

To me the Vlei actually looked more interesting when parts of it, especially the trees, were still in the shadow. The different light lines are really cool!

 

 

Totally different ambiance when everything is well lit.

 

 

By now a lot of people had arrived, dozens were walking around, and it became very tricky to get a shot without a person in it.

 

 

 

 

 

But after a while it seemed everybody had to go back for their arranged breakfasts. Us too unfortunately.

 

 

 

 

Scaly Weaver - I love their always grumpy look.

 

 

Big Mama, another of the famous huge dunes.

 

 

A nice spot to enjoy breakfast. This is the actual Sossusvlei, a clay pan, of roughly elliptical shape, covered in a crust of salt-rich sand. While the pan has been shaped over time by the Tsauchab river, the actual flooding of the pan is a relatively rare event, and sometimes several years pass between one flood and the next one.

 

 

 

Gemsbok are almost tame here.

 

 

And Cape Sparrows are always hoping for scraps.

[pedro maia]

Great start Michael, beautiful pictures of one of the most beautiful places I ever visited.

[offshorebirder]

10 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Walvis Bay pelagic, Swakopmund

 

I am writhing with jealousy!

 

Great start to this trip report - I am looking forward to following along.

 

[Caracal]

10 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Klippspringers. Always a delight to see.

Yes and they always seem to pose nicely.

 

I've never been to Namibia and I know I'm going to enjoy learning more along the way.

[Zim Girl]

Been looking forward to this, Michael.

Beautiful pictures of the desert landscapes and dead vlei. They are one of my favourite areas of Namibia too

[Miss Biscuit]

As much as the animals, I love the dune photos (and the ones with both!) and the gorgeous night shot of Windhoek

[Atravelynn]

Namibia in May!  I hate the luggage roulette when the case does not appear.  But someone must be last.  Perhaps next time you pack a disc grinder. 

 

But you got there with the gear.  What a fantastic start. I loved Sossus Dune Lodge.  It put you where you needed to be when you needed to be there.  Outstanding results with the sand, the birds, and even gemsbok.  Stark, beautiful, almost unreal landscapes!

[KaliCA]

I’m really enjoying your fantastic captures of the landscape of Namibia. We have been four times now and the desert there is truly worth a trip as you found out. As campers inside the gate, we also got a head start and had Dead Vlei to ourselves for sunrise. A grand experience as you now know. 
Looking forward to more…

[Kitsafari]

Ahhh finally it's here. As expected, I'm much enjoying the brilliant photos of the equally brilliant landscapes and wildlife (& friends)

[Peter Connan]

Stunning photography, as always.

I am buckled in for the ride.

[michael-ibk]

On 10/6/2024 at 8:09 PM, pedro maia said:

Great start Michael, beautiful pictures of one of the most beautiful places I ever visited.

 

Thanks! Fully agree with that sentiment Pedro.

 

 

On 10/7/2024 at 1:49 AM, offshorebirder said:

 

I am writhing with jealousy!

 

 

Thanks but no need to Nate, while it was an enjoyable boat trip the number of seabirds was very underwhelming. I really need to do a pelagic in Cape Town sooner or later!

 

On 10/7/2024 at 3:44 AM, Caracal said:

Yes and they always seem to pose nicely.

 

I've never been to Namibia and I know I'm going to enjoy learning more along the way.

 

That surprises me @Caracal! Never made it on your bucket list?

 

On 10/7/2024 at 1:30 PM, Zim Girl said:

 

Beautiful pictures of the desert landscapes and dead vlei. They are one of my favourite areas of Namibia too

 

Thanks Angie, I would go so far and say it was my Nr. 1 place - never expected that.

 

On 10/7/2024 at 4:31 PM, Miss Biscuit said:

As much as the animals, I love the dune photos (and the ones with both!) and the gorgeous night shot of Windhoek

 

Thanks, we really had fun taking photos in the desert. As all regular STers know, many of these photos were of course taken by @AndMic!

 

16 hours ago, KaliCA said:

We have been four times now and the desert there is truly worth a trip as you found out. As campers inside the gate, we also got a head start and had Dead Vlei to ourselves for sunrise.

 

Thanks! Ah, did not know that. To be honest I am happy no campers had a headstart on us that particular day.

 

14 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

Ahhh finally it's here. As expected, I'm much enjoying the brilliant photos of the equally brilliant landscapes and wildlife (& friends)

 

Thanks so much Kit!

 

Quote

Perhaps next time you pack a disc grinder.

 

Good suggestion, but I'm not sure if the airport security people would be happy about that @Atravelynn. ;-)

 

Quote

I loved Sossus Dune Lodge.  It put you where you needed to be when you needed to be there.  Outstanding results with the sand, the birds, and even gemsbok.

 

Exactly, its location really is a huge advantage. And thanks for the nice comments!

 

11 hours ago, Peter Connan said:

Stunning photography, as always.

I am buckled in for the ride.

 

And to you Peter, always appreciate your kind support.

Edited October 8 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

We were in a bit of a hurry after Dead Vlei - had a long way to go to the Coast immediately afterwards. Checked out quickly, and on the road again. It's 353 km from Sossus Dune Lodge to Swakopmund. We left at noon and arrived at about 17:30 with only one petrol stop (at Solitaire) and a few very photo stops on the way. No particularly impressive landmarks on the way, but in a way I enjoyed the vastness, the never-ending emptiness of the landscape.

 

 

 

 

The Coast was a very welcome sight. While the (gravel) road was good, Alex said it definitely is not fun driving after sunset - very easy to lose the track in this featureless environment.

 

In Swakopmund we had booked The Stiltz - a place we liked a lot. A lodge on - stilts of course:

 

 

 

Very comfortable, clean and spacious rooms with a good shower.

 

 

 

We paid a bit (not too much) extra for an ocean-view room. Very much worth it, the view was very nice indeed.

 

 

Always some Flamingos coming and going down there, and lots of other birds.

 

 

The beach right at the lodge.

Edited October 8 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

For the next day I had arranged an all-day birding tour (with some desert reptiles sneaking in) with Batis Birding Safaris. Very much recommended, we had a really nice day with our guide Chantelle Bosch (on Facebook here).

 

 

After quickly checking the jetty for Crowned Cormorant (a lifer for me) we explored the salines North of Swakopmund. Very productive, thousands and thousands of birds here.

 

 

Crowned Cormorant

 

 

 

This hapless young Cape Cormorant clumsily tried to waddle into the shade of our car. It was getting very hot quickly!

 

 

Greater Flamingo. I reported 4,387 on my ebird list, trying to find out if the local reviewer is doing his homework.

 

 

Lesser Flamingo

 

 

Chestnut-banded Plover, a lifer and important target bird for me.

 

Afterwards Chantelle introduced us to her good friend Karla.

 

 

Say Hi to Karla! A Namaqua Chameleon, found in the Western desert regions of Namibia, South Africa and Southern Angola.

 

 

No, not two different Chameleons - she really was almost white on one side and more richly coloured on the other. Helps blending in, and also battling the heat. Thermoregulation, becoming black in the cooler morning to absorb heat more efficiently, then a lighter grey color to reflect light during the heat of the day — or showing both colors at the same time, neatly separated left from right by the spine.

 

 

The way to a Chameleon's heart goes through her stomach. It was fascinating how Chantelle found her - she actually called out for her, and Karla came out. This kind of sightings is not for everyone of course, but I would be lying if I said we did not enjoy it.

 

 

 

This species runs fast for a chameleon and will do so to evade potential danger.

 

 

Edited October 8 by michael-ibk